Socal Development Essay, Research Paper

An individuals social development begins in the very early years of life, even as early as the first few months. Social developmental learning is a very important part of life. As individuals progress from infancy to adulthood, their thoughts develop due to the outcome of a long history of growth. Beginning in infancy, ones thinking grows and changes progressively. Through social learning, the child learn to a adapt to the social and cultural norms and values. It plays a part in mental and emotional growth, and allows the child to learn developmentally by play. Also through social development a person establishes a gender role and personal identity. We all know that genetics are the general aspect of who we are and why we do what we do. Rarlely in everyday life do we think about how the environment may also cause us to do a lot of the things we do. Through learning, different aspects or ideas are involved in social development such as biology, ecology, cognitive thinking, and culture.

Social development is effected and made up of more than one concept or idea. Biology (genetics) is of course one of the main aspects of social development. The biological idea refers to the growth and ability to use the social drives or inborn instincts a person has. The next concept is ecology. Social ecology .. The third concept of development is the cognitive theory. This relates to ones ability to organize, remember, and use knowledge to guide a persons behavior. It promotes growth in a persons way of thinking. Culture relates to ones ability to adapt to the norms of a particular culture. Acceptably social behavior changes throughout each culture.

The development of language plays a key role in the learning of social development. There is a strong connection between language and intelligence and creativity. It has been difficult to determine how important qualities in learning such as intelligence and creativity are influenced by heredity and how much they can be influenced by the environment. For a newborn, knowledge is limited to overt motor actions such as grasping and sucking. Language in infants then starts to develop. The main purpose of speech (and other forms of communication such as sign language) is ones need for social contact. Newborns start by crying, infants learn to babble (word like sounds), toddlers begin saying words that gradually become sentences. They are able to do this because of continuous reinforcement from their parents and continuous observation. Towards the end of an infants first year of life they have learned to determine some socially acceptable and not acceptable ways of life. They do this through social referencing.

Social development involves learning both what behaviors are and are not acceptable. Starting in the early years is when it is important to emphasize to children socially appropriate behaviors for different circumstances. A person must first have an understanding of their cultures customs and traditions in order to adapt to it. It is important for human development that we adapt these social customs. Children are generally able to construct their own understanding and use it to guide behavior. Concepts that children learn throughout life through there social environment are things such as right and wrong, roles of male and female, .There are two different theories on learning and development. Piaget thought that learning was caused by development. In contrast, Vygotsky s theory stated that development is caused by what and how one learns. Children learn through many different ways. There are things such as imitation, observation, role models and forms of play that all take place in a childs ability to learn. Learning by imitation provides a complete behavioral sequence. There are two general areas that learning takes place the most, at home and at school. According to Bronfenbrenner (1986), the relationship between home and school is as important to the childs development as are the separate qualities of the two (Gray, 1999, p. 446). Children start learning through imitation and observation, without being directly taught. An example of this would be seeing a young toddler watching his daddy and his friend playing catch with a ball. When the ball is thrown to the toddler, by observation and imitation, the toddler throws the ball back to his daddy. Imitation is probably one of the more easier ways for a child to learn. Children learn a lot about right and wrong from role models such as their parents, grandparents, teachers etc. But there are a lot of other models that children learn from throughout their environment. Watching other kids, reading books, and watching television all have a way of teaching kids. Books are a wonderful way for kids to learn about the social world around them. It enables them to explore their imaginary world. Television is another way children can learn. Many of the things on television are not helpful to the development of children; yet some people might disagree and feel that there is nothing their children can watch that will effect them in any way. Television programs that teach children right and wrong, what is and is not socially acceptable behavior, are few and far between. Both children and adults tend to imitate people that they like or respect and are more likely to imitate a role model if the behavior leads to positive outcomes. Children observe other kids and learn from the forms of play. Children at play enables the mental and physical development in a child to enhance. It teaches them valued skills and understanding of social roles.